JP2790164B2 - Transfer device for vacuum chamber - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus for a vacuum chamber for moving a vacuum processing object by driving a transfer roller in the vacuum chamber by a shaft provided through a side wall of the vacuum chamber. When exhausting the inside of the chamber, a flange fixed to the shaft is in close contact with the sealing member to secure the airtightness of the chamber, and when moving the vacuum processing object, by separating the flange from the sealing member, This is to prevent the abrasion of the sealing member and maintain the airtightness of the chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a trace gas type leak detection system, a transfer device has been used for loading a vacuum processing object (work) into a vacuum chamber and unloading the vacuum processing object after inspection.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a trace gas type leak detection system. Doors 22a and 22b which are movable in the vertical direction are provided at the front and rear portions of the vacuum chamber 21, and these doors 22a and 22b are raised to load or unload the vacuum processing object 23 into or from the vacuum chamber 21. It is supposed to. When the doors 22a and 22b are closed, the chamber 21 is kept airtight and the chamber 2 is closed.
Chamber 2 by means of exhaust (not shown) connected to
1 can be evacuated. Further, the chamber 21 is connected to a trace gas detecting means (not shown) so that gas leaked from the vacuum processing object 23 to the chamber 21 can be detected as described later. Chamber 21
The transfer rollers 24 are arranged at a predetermined pitch at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 21.
It is driven and rotated by driving means (not shown) provided on the outside. In addition, vacuum chamber 2
Conveyors 25a and 25b are provided at the front and rear of the device 1, respectively.

The operation of such a trace gas detection system will be described. First, a trace gas such as helium is sealed in the vacuum processing object 23 to be leak-inspected, and is conveyed toward the vacuum chamber 21 by the conveyor 25a. In this case, the doors 22a, 22
b is raised to open the carry-in and carry-out openings of the chamber 21. When the vacuum processing object 23 reaches the entrance of the chamber 21, the transfer roller 24 is rotated by the driving means,
The entire vacuum processing object 23 is transferred into the chamber 21. When the vacuum processing object 23 moves to a predetermined position in the chamber 21, the transfer roller 24 stops rotating. Then, door 2
After 2a and 22b descend to close the inlet and outlet,
The inside of the vacuum chamber 21 is evacuated by the evacuating means.

Next, when the pressure in the vacuum chamber 21 reaches a predetermined value, the presence or absence or the amount of trace gas leaking from the vacuum processing object 23 into the vacuum chamber 21 is detected by the trace gas detecting means.

Next, after the leak detection test is completed, the inside of the vacuum chamber 21 is brought to atmospheric pressure. And the doors 22a, 22
b, and the transfer roller 24 is driven to
3 is transferred to the conveyor 25. Vacuum processing product 23
Is moved from the transfer roller 24 to the conveyor 25, and further conveyed to the next step by the conveyor 25. At the same time, the next vacuum processing object 23 is transferred to the conveyor 2.
It is carried into the vacuum chamber 21 by 5a. In this manner, a leak detection test can be continuously performed on a plurality of vacuum processing objects.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional vacuum chamber transfer device used in the above-described trace gas type leak detection system. A plurality of drive motors 30 are arranged outside the vacuum chamber 21 corresponding to, for example, each transfer roller in the chamber. The drive shaft 30a of the drive motor 30 is connected to the roller shaft 26 via a coupling 29.
Is connected to one end of the The roller shaft 26 passes through a hole 27 provided in the side wall 21 a of the vacuum chamber 21, and the other end of the roller shaft 26 is supported by a bearing (not shown) provided inside the chamber 21. I have. Also,
The transfer roller 24 is fixed to the roller shaft 26.

A groove 27a extending in the circumferential direction is provided in an intermediate portion of the hole 27 provided in the side wall 21a, and an O-ring 28 is arranged in the groove 27a. The O-ring 28 is fitted on the roller shaft 26,
And the airtight contact with the surface of the groove 27a to maintain the airtightness in the chamber 21.

In the transfer device configured as described above,
When the inside of the chamber 21 is evacuated, the O-ring 28 maintains the airtightness inside the chamber 21. When moving the vacuum processing object, the roller shaft 26 is
Slides, and the driving force of the motor 30 is transmitted to the transfer roller 24.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a trace gas type leak detection system. The vacuum chamber 31 has vertically movable doors 32a, 32 at the front and rear, respectively.
When the doors 32a and 32b are closed, the inside of the chamber 31 is airtightly sealed. The chamber 31 is connected to an exhaust unit and a trace gas detecting unit (neither is shown). Further, a plurality of rotatable rollers 37 are arranged in the chamber 31 at a predetermined pitch from the front to the rear of the chamber.

In front of the chamber 31, a vacuum processing object transfer device 35 is provided. The transfer device 35 has an arm 34 that can move in the vertical direction and can move in the horizontal direction. Also, at the tip of the arm 34,
A vacuum processing object mounting portion 34a on which the vacuum processing object 33 can be mounted is provided.

In such a trace gas detection system, first, a vacuum processing object 33 filled with a trace gas is used.
Is mounted on the mounting portion 34a of the vacuum processing object transfer device 35,
The vacuum processing object 33 is moved to the chamber 31 by operating the arm 34.
Carry in. Then, the vacuum processing object 33 is transferred to the chamber 31.
The arm 34 is retracted to the outside of the chamber 31 after being disposed inside the chamber 31. Thereafter, the doors 32a, 32b of the chamber 31
Descends to keep the chamber 31 airtight,
1 Start the exhaust inside.

Thereafter, a leak detection test is performed on the vacuum processing object 33 in the same manner as in the trace gas detection system described above. After this test is completed, the pressure inside the chamber 31 is returned to the atmospheric pressure, and the doors 32a and 32b of the chamber 31 are opened. Next, the next vacuum processing object 33 is loaded into the vacuum chamber 31 by the transfer device 35. At this time, chamber 3
The vacuum processing object 33 in 1 is pushed out of the chamber 31 by the tip of the mounting portion 34a. The vacuum processing object 33 extruded from the chamber 31 moves to the next process by the conveyor 36. In this way, a leak detection test is continuously performed on a plurality of vacuum processing objects.

[0014]

However, the above-described conventional vacuum chamber transfer device has the following problems. That is, in the transfer device shown in FIG.
The roller shaft 26 and the O-ring 2
8 wears out. As the wear of these members progresses, the airtightness of the vacuum chamber cannot be maintained.

On the other hand, the transfer device shown in FIG. 5 has a problem that the cost of the transfer device is high because the transfer device itself is large-scale. In addition, there is a problem that a time is required for the arm that has loaded the vacuum processing object into the chamber to retreat outside the vacuum chamber, and the cycle time required for loading and unloading the vacuum processing object into and from the vacuum chamber is long.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to suppress abrasion of a sealing member and the like, to prevent a reduction in airtightness of a vacuum chamber, and to avoid an increase in the size of a transfer device. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum chamber transfer device that requires a short cycle time for loading and unloading a vacuum-processed material.

[0017]

A transfer apparatus for a vacuum chamber according to the present invention is provided with a transfer roller provided in a vacuum chamber and a drive roller inserted through a side wall of the vacuum chamber to drive the transfer roller. Shaft, a flange fixed to the shaft, a shaft driving means for driving the shaft, and provided on a side wall of the vacuum chamber, and hermetically sealing the vacuum chamber between the side wall and the flange. And a shaft moving means for moving the shaft in the axial direction.

[0018]

In the transfer apparatus for a vacuum chamber according to the present invention, when transferring a vacuum processing object in the vacuum chamber, the pressure in the vacuum chamber is set to the atmospheric pressure, and then the shaft is moved by the shaft moving means. The flange is separated from the sealing member. Then, the shaft is rotated by the shaft driving means to rotate the transfer roller, and the vacuum processing object is transferred.

On the other hand, when performing vacuum processing, the shaft is moved by the shaft moving means to press the flange against the sealing member, and the inside of the vacuum chamber is kept airtight. Next, the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated and vacuum-processed.

In the present invention, during the transfer, the sealing member is separated from the rotating flange, so that the sealing member does not wear. Further, since the shaft need only be moved in the axial direction, the size of the apparatus does not increase.

[0021]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams showing a state of a vacuum chamber transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention at the time of transfer of a vacuum processing object and at the time of evacuation, respectively. A through hole 1b is provided in a side wall 1a of the vacuum chamber 1. A cylindrical bearing 4 is fitted into the through hole 1b inside the vacuum chamber. One end of the roller shaft 3 is fitted to the bearing 4, and the other end of the roller shaft 3 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) provided in the vacuum chamber 1. One end of the roller shaft 3 is provided with a concave portion 3a extending in the diameter direction. The transfer roller 2 is fitted and fixed to the roller shaft 3, and the vacuum processing object 11 is transferred by the rotation of the transfer roller 2.

A driving motor 8 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 1.
Is disposed so that the drive shaft 8a faces the chamber 1 and is movably supported by a support member (not shown) in the direction of the center axis of the drive shaft 8a. Also, a drive shaft 8a of the motor 8
Is connected to the flanged shaft 5 via a coupling 7. The flanged shaft 5 includes a shaft portion 5 d fixed to the coupling 7, a disk-shaped flange portion 5 c fixed to the shaft portion 5 d, and a hole 1.
6, a shaft portion 5a inserted into the
The projection 5b is provided at the tip end of the roller shaft 3 and the projection 5b fits into the recess 3a of the roller shaft 3. A ring-shaped groove 1c is provided on the side wall 1a of the vacuum chamber 1 corresponding to the edge of the flange portion 5c, and an O-ring 6 is fitted into the groove 1c. In the present embodiment, one motor 8 is provided for one roller shaft 3, and therefore, the number of motors 8 is provided by the number of roller shafts 3 in the chamber 1.

These motors 8 are connected to a cylinder shaft 9a of one air cylinder 9 via a connecting member 8b. Each motor 8 is moved by the air cylinder 9 in the axial direction of its drive shaft 8a. The cylinder shaft 9a
The movement range of the motor 8 is regulated by the retreat end stopper 10, so that the motor 8 is not separated from the vacuum chamber 1 by a certain distance or more.

Next, the operation of the thus-configured vacuum chamber transfer device will be described. First, when transferring the vacuum processing object 11 into the vacuum chamber 1, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 1 is set to the atmospheric pressure. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the air cylinder 9 is operated to move the motor 8 in a direction away from the vacuum chamber 1 to a position determined by the retreat end stopper 10. Then, the flange portion 5c of the flanged shaft 5 is separated from the O-ring 6 on the side wall 1a of the vacuum chamber 1. In this case, the convex portion 5 provided on the shaft portion 5a of the flanged shaft 5
b remains fitted in the concave portion 3a of the roller shaft 3.

When the motor 8 is operated in this state, the driving force of the motor 8 is transmitted to the roller shaft 3 via the coupling 7 and the flanged shaft 5, and the transfer roller 2 is rotated to move the vacuum processing object 11. Can be transported. In this case, since the flange portion 5c is separated from the O-ring 6, even if the flanged shaft 5 rotates, the O-ring 6 does not wear.

When performing vacuum processing by evacuating the vacuum chamber 1, the cylinder shaft 9a of the air cylinder 9 is moved in a direction approaching the vacuum chamber 1, as shown in FIG. As a result, the motor 8, the coupling 7, and the flanged shaft 5 move in a direction approaching the vacuum chamber 1, the flange portion 5c presses the O-ring 6 provided on the outer surface of the side wall 1a, and the O-ring 6 5c and side wall 1
a and the groove 1c provided on the outer surface. Thereby, the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is kept airtight. Thereafter, the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is evacuated. In this case, as the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 1 decreases, the difference between the atmospheric pressure outside the vacuum chamber 1 and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 1 causes the flange portion 5c to be more strongly pressed against the O-ring 6, The airtightness in the vacuum chamber is more reliably maintained.

In this embodiment, when the inside of the chamber 1 is evacuated, the flange portion 5c comes into close contact with the O-ring 6,
The airtightness in the chamber 1 can be reliably maintained, and the wear of the O-ring 6 can be avoided because the flange portion 5c rotates away from the O-ring 6 when transferring the vacuum processing object. Thereby, the vacuum chamber 1
Can be prevented from deteriorating the hermeticity retention performance. Further, in the present embodiment, since the vacuum processing object is transferred by the transfer roller 2, the cycle time can be shortened and the size of the device can be reduced unlike the transfer device of the arm type shown in FIG. Can be avoided.

Incidentally, a concave portion corresponding to the flange may be provided on the side wall of the chamber, and an O-ring may be arranged in the concave portion. In this case, the intrusion of dust into the vacuum chamber can be suppressed, and the adhesion of dust to the O-ring can be suppressed.
There is an advantage that the durability of the O-ring is improved. Also,
In the above-described embodiment, the case where one roller shaft is rotated by one motor has been described. However, a plurality of roller shafts may be rotated by one motor. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the flanged shaft 5
The driving force is transmitted from the motor 8 to the roller shaft 3 via the connecting portion formed by fitting the convex portion 5b of the roller shaft 3 with the concave portion 3a of the roller shaft 3, but the connecting mechanism between the shaft and the roller shaft is The mechanism is not limited to this, and other mechanisms can be used as long as the shaft and the flange fixed to the shaft can move in the axial direction and can transmit the rotational driving force to the transfer roller when the transfer roller rotates. There may be. Such a mechanism includes, for example, a spline mechanism (spline shaft and boss) or a combination of a key and a key groove.

[0029]

As described above, the transfer apparatus for a vacuum chamber according to the present invention has a flange fixed to a shaft penetrating the chamber side wall, and an axis moving means for moving the shaft in the axial direction. When the chamber is evacuated, the flange and the sealing member are brought into close contact with each other, and during transfer, the flange and the sealing member are separated from each other, so that wear of the sealing member can be avoided, and the airtightness of the vacuum chamber is reduced. Can be avoided. Further, since it is only necessary to move the shaft in the axial direction, it is possible to prevent an increase in the size of the apparatus and to avoid a prolonged cycle time required for loading and unloading the vacuum processing object into and out of the vacuum chamber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a vacuum processing object is transferred by a transfer device for a vacuum chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state at the time of exhaustion.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a trace gas leak detection system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a conventional vacuum chamber transfer device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the trace gas detection system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 21, 31: vacuum chamber, 1a: side wall, 1b: through hole, 2: transfer roller, 3, 26: roller shaft, 3a ...
Recess, 4 ... bearing, 5 ... shaft with flange, 5a,
5d: shaft portion, 5b: convex portion, 5c: flange portion,
6,28 ... O-ring, 7,29 ... Coupling, 8,3
0 ... motor, 8a, 30a ... drive shaft, 8b ... connecting member,
9: Air cylinder, 9a: Cylinder shaft, 10: Retraction end stopper, 11, 23, 33: Vacuum processed material, 22a, 22
b, 32a, 32b: door, 24: transfer roller, 25
a, 25b, 36: conveyor, 27: hole, 27a: groove,
34: arm, 35: vacuum processing object transfer device

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-58-182532 (JP, A) JP-A-59-109234 (JP, A) JP-A-2-283970 (JP, A) JP-A-4- 329834 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 62-119643 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 62-79533 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B01J 3/03 B01J 3 / 02 B65G 39/09 F16J 15/50 G01M 3/32

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A transfer roller provided in a vacuum chamber, a shaft provided through a side wall of the vacuum chamber to drive the transfer roller, a flange fixed to the shaft, and the shaft. Shaft driving means for driving the vacuum chamber, a sealing member provided on a side wall of the vacuum chamber, sandwiched between the side wall and the flange, and hermetically holding the vacuum chamber, and moving the shaft in its axial direction. A transfer device for a vacuum chamber, comprising: a shaft moving means for moving the shaft. 2. The vacuum chamber according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is an O-ring provided on an outer surface of a side wall of the vacuum chamber, and the flange is disposed outside the vacuum chamber. Transfer equipment.